This strip could have been funny if there were events involving daddy long legs or peanut butter that the readers know about. In that case it could be like a running gag.
The writers of Cheers, Frasier and Big Bang Theory (I suspect there is an overlap in these staffs) had this down pretty well. Unlike most sitcoms, they didn’t set up a joke and immediately deliver the punchline, they would prepare the viewer with some background information and wait until later in the program to deliver the punchline. By that time, the audience’s attention is elsewhere and the joke is all the funnier for the delay.
Having said that, there are things that you can assume your audience would know without having to set the stage. For example, I used to have a dog that owned a truck (Officially it was my truck but the dog got very upset if I drove it without him. Did you ever try to back up a truck with a golden retriever licking your face? I’ll tell you this: it ain’t easy).
My dog and I went everywhere in that truck and he frequently accompanied me on errands. One time I went to the bagel shop and when I got out he was sitting behind the wheel. I opened the door and told him, “Move over. I’m driving. We all remember what happened the last time you drove. It wasn’t pretty.”
The woman getting into the car next to me lost it.
This strip could have been funny if there were events involving daddy long legs or peanut butter that the readers know about. In that case it could be like a running gag.
The writers of Cheers, Frasier and Big Bang Theory (I suspect there is an overlap in these staffs) had this down pretty well. Unlike most sitcoms, they didn’t set up a joke and immediately deliver the punchline, they would prepare the viewer with some background information and wait until later in the program to deliver the punchline. By that time, the audience’s attention is elsewhere and the joke is all the funnier for the delay.
Having said that, there are things that you can assume your audience would know without having to set the stage. For example, I used to have a dog that owned a truck (Officially it was my truck but the dog got very upset if I drove it without him. Did you ever try to back up a truck with a golden retriever licking your face? I’ll tell you this: it ain’t easy).
My dog and I went everywhere in that truck and he frequently accompanied me on errands. One time I went to the bagel shop and when I got out he was sitting behind the wheel. I opened the door and told him, “Move over. I’m driving. We all remember what happened the last time you drove. It wasn’t pretty.”
The woman getting into the car next to me lost it.